Featured App: Doodlecast for Kids

A loveable app that allows players to record their drawing from start to finish, along with accompanying audio. It is

a perfect example of how kids and adults can play together: they can take turns, discuss what they are doing, and prompt each other during the learning process. The prompts get kids started in drawing by asking open-ended
questions, and there is also a ‘blank’ page that allows for free form drawing. There is value in kids being able to see their work progress over time, and for them to record the process, as well as the finished product. As a parent, it is simply charming to have a record of just what they were thinking when they created a given picture.

Younger users might not understand the concept of recording while drawing at first. One four-year-old enjoyed being able to watch what he drew, but felt frustrated when the ‘clock had stopped’ after the allotted drawing time ended. This minor inconvenience won’t bother parents, however, as there are plenty of apps that let kids doodle to their heart’s content. It’s easy to remove the movies that your child didn’t mean to keep, and the time cap on each doodle session means that they won’t take up too much space on your device.

In addition to the inherent creative value of this app, I believe it is also a powerful gateway for non-iPad learning, in guiding parents on what kinds of things they can do to support kids when given crayons and a blank piece of paper.